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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: March 4
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Greg
1:22
Fun C-USA throwback this weekend in Ruston, who ya got?
Kendall Rogers
1:22
Man, that's going to be an awesome series, isn't it? Louisiana Tech is rolling right now with a balanced approach, as if USM, granted it's more so because the pitching has been brilliant. I kind of feel like USM's offense will step up this weekend, but give me the home team who has the clear-cut, better offense for now. That's going to be an incredible series, however.
Mitchell G
1:23
Clemson looked more mentally tough than SC over the weekend. What were your thoughts and takeaways from some abbreviated Palmetto state rivalry action?
Joe Healy
1:23
First, it was my first time covering that rivalry and it was everything I'd heard it was going to be in terms of intensity and atmosphere. Mental toughness could be a factor in Clemson winning it, especially given that they kept punching back every time they got punched, but I think the bigger factor was that Clemson got something from just about everybody in its lineup, whereas South Carolina's lineup often felt stagnant outside of the Petry homers and Dylan Brewer staying hot. I still have questions about both teams' starting pitching (more so SC than Clemson), but I love Clemson's bullpen depth and South Carolina looks like it has a budding bullpen star in Garrett Gainey, which I didn't see coming.
PowerMajor
1:24
Last week I asked about the impact of the UCSB-Oregon series on the Big West's hosting chances. Take Oregon State out of the PAC: is that conference even close to as good as the Big West?
Kendall Rogers
1:24
Is it close to being as good as the Big West? Absolutely. It will end up being better overall. But there's no doubt the league as a whole is on the struggle bus. I know Aaron liked some of the things he saw from Arizona at times over the weekend, and I liked what I saw from Oregon and Washington State in my individual looks. But there's no doubt there seems to be a massive gap (for now) between the Beavs and the rest of the conference. I'm curious to see if that continues.
Greg
1:28
Takeaways from this weekend in Oxford? Strike-throwing seems to be a huge problem for Iowa.
Joe Healy
1:28
It was a series that it felt like Ole Miss kinda had to have, which is weird to say about a series in early March. Iowa first and foremost has bullpen issues and strike throwing is part of that. It doesn't feel like there's anyone they can trust, especially to throw multiple innings. That's a problem when none of their starting pitchers are known for being super efficient. I don't want to get overheated about one series, but this felt like progress for the Rebels. Some guys in the lineup started to show signs of heating up and Saunier's start on Sunday was massive.
FittsMagic
1:29
Well the boredom that LSU showed the first couple of weeks clearly was not an issue, and the H-Town excitement was a nice jolt. What, if any, were the concerns for LSU moving on from the weekend, and just how close are you to putting them at #1?
Kendall Rogers
1:29
Fitts -- Feel pretty good about LSU after this past weekend. I think we all kind of wondered how they'd do in a Paul Skenes-less world, and the answer to that question will be just fine. Luke Holman was brilliant, Gage Jump was ultra-impressive and was able to go 70-plus pitches and I thought Thatcher Hurd was very good through four innings yesterday. Feel great about the offense as well.
David V
1:32
We're a couple years removed from Oregon State's decision to hire Mitch Canham over Nate Yeske.  I remember it being somewhat of an eye brow raiser at the time.  How do you think Mitch has done so far and do you think that Yeske will ever get his shot at the top job?
Kendall Rogers
1:32
David -- That's a good question. I'm not sure it was so much as an eye brow raiser as it was more the college baseball community kinda thought Yeskie did what he needed to do to be the head man there. With that said, Mitch was very accomplished in his own right as a Minor League manager. Honestly, I think Mitch has done a solid job. I thought the Beavs (no matter who was HC) would take a decent step back when Case departed, and clearly they're a national title contender this season. For that reason, I give Mitch a strong grade. He's a great fit there. As for Yeskie, I think he likes being in the Southeastern Conference, albeit, not as a head coach.
Lemonhead
1:33
Who is going to be Oregon State's competition in the PAC this year? Is Utah going to be tough? is USC this bad?
Joe Healy
1:33
That's a very good, confounding question, and it's something I know our colleague Mike Rooney has lamented early this season. It wouldn't shock me at this point if Oregon State wins the league by several games. Just as I was ready to declare Oregon the second-best team in the Pac, it lost a home series to UCSB, though the answer might still be the Ducks because a series loss to the Gauchos isn't anything to hang their heads about. Good call on Utah; I do think the Utes will be pesky. They haven't faced any marquee competition yet, but wins against UC San Diego and Cal Baptist are notable given how good we expect those teams to be. USC is probably going to be one of those teams that's much better than its record shows. They're really behind the eight ball this season given that they don't have a home field and that plus a tough early-season schedule could mean a step back.
Len
1:33
Man I'm a concerned UF fan. Starting pitching can't go deep other than Cags yesterday. Bullpen looks very shaky. The second half of this lineup is straight up bad. Team defense seems mediocre at best. I love you guys and love UF but can't imagine why they're still ranked so high.
Kendall Rogers
1:33
Len - I think I have more concerns about Florida than the rest of our staff, but we'll see how things play it. Cade Fisher was okay over the weekend. I was talking to someone close to the program last night driving home from Minute Maid, and it sounds like Fisher looks exceptional in practice. So, for him, it's all about translating that over to games. I do know one thing -- they really need him to step up, because they don't want to start Peterson on Friday and obviously don't want to start Cags in that slot, either.
EagsBy10
1:35
How many “mid-major” matchups of the week does USM have to win to get ranked?
Joe Healy
1:35
The honest answer has less to do with USM and more to do with the fact that teams aren't into conference play yet and aren't being pushed in the way they will once that gets going in earnest. Once teams start dropping more games, if USM keeps winning, it will be ranked, and I suspect that's precisely what will happen.
Oxford Bald Eagle
1:38
Just a tough week for Southern Miss to crack the top 25.  So many teams in the top 25 played great.  Also, is it the year of the mid-major?  Power arms, guys with hit tools, defense...we have a lot of mid-majors, DBU heading the class, that look like SEC teams...
Joe Healy
1:38
Agreed. See my answer to EagsBy10 above. We just haven't had a lot of teams to drop out yet. This does look like a strong year for mid-majors. The SBC could easily be a 3-4 bid league, DBU and La Tech out of CUSA look strong, I really like Creighton's team, and if you consider the Big West a mid-major, UCSB and UC Irvine have been very good as well. I'm sure I'm missing a few, but you catch my drift.
Lubbock
1:40
Did Texas Pitching get exposed this weekend or was it just an off weekend plus a step up in competition?
Kendall Rogers
1:40
I'd always be cautious about Texas going to Lubbock because they historically play really well there. But there's no doubt that as much as I like the Texas offense, I'm troubled by the pitching staff. There's just not a lot of juice there. Lebarron Johnson is a superstar on Friday, while Hurley/Howard are just OK. Then, you have the bullpen, which didn't have an arm get above 93 mph (that I remember) outside of Gage Boehm. I did like Boehm... .but outside of that? meh. UT's pitching and defense is not in a great spot right now.
Jacob
1:40
What college ballpark that you haven't been to do you most want to see a game at?
cool 1
Joe Healy
1:40
Love this question! My primary coverage area for D1 is the SEC, so I've been to many of the ones that come to mind for people. My answer to this point has been Baum-Walker at Arkansas, but I'll be there this season, so my new answer is Goss up in Corvallis. The Beavs have such an ardent following and I've heard it's fantastic atmosphere.
Raider Power
1:43
How long can TCU/TCU pitching keep it up with all these close games? Eventually it's going to come back and bite them I would assume
Joe Healy
1:43
Yeah, the data suggests that one-run games tend to even out at some point, so regression to the mean will probably happen. However, history is littered with all kinds of teams that were on major heaters when it comes to winning close games and rode that wave to Omaha, so there should be no need to apologize for it. We all love TCU's talent, so I don't think any regression would mean the Frogs are destined to fall off the table, but I would like to see better performance out of the rotation once they get into the teeth of Big 12 play.
Lee
1:45
The Vandboys played with a bit more grit and consistency against somewhat tougher competition this week… some pluses on both sides. What can they do better?
Kendall Rogers
1:45
Lee -- I think the biggest thing for me is just showing more consistency moving forward. I think that's probably the best they've looked to date. I didn't like the fact they got down so big so early yesterday, but I think it tells me a lot about a team and its mindset to come back like that. Cam Kozeal is the real deal, and I wasn't sure I expected Alan Espinal to stand out 'that' much over the weekend. I also thought Greysen Carter looked great out of the pen. I should have more on Kozeal later this week.
Westy
1:47
Mississippi State goes LSU, @ A&M, and @ Florida to open up SEC play: what do they have to do they have to do in those 3 series to make you feel like they are a regional club?
Kendall Rogers
1:47
If the Bulldogs can find a way to win ONE of those three series, I'll be convinced they can make a regional this season for sure. Hell, even if they can avoid getting swept, that might be considered a mild win. FWIW I like their chances to knock off Florida a little more than I do LSU and A&M right now. I'm pretty high on the Tigers and Aggies. BTW -- definitely seeing improvement out of the Bulldogs.
Andy
1:47
What do you think about Arkansas' offense at this point in the season?
Joe Healy
1:47
My long-standing stance on Arkansas offensively is that the next time a team coached by DVH and Nate Thompson is bad offensively will be the first time, so I'm going to bet on the Razorbacks at bare minimum having a functional offense. I can't imagine Wehiwa Aloy and Hudson White in particular will struggle like this the rest of the season. With all that said, it is fair to wonder if this is one of the weaker lineups Arkansas has had in recent years. The good news is that the rotation might be so good that a decent, functional offense might be all it takes.
SDSouthpaw
1:48
Not a good look from the Pac this weekend.  Is it conceivable that the Pac-12 could be a one bid league this year?
Joe Healy
1:48
Your larger point is absolutely. The league has been bleeding bids so far this season. I still have to think they get at least three bids when it's all said and done, just because someone is going to finish second and third in the league and I'm guessing those teams will have good enough resumes. Don't forget that Arizona had a verrrrrrry borderline resume last year and got in, so there is precedent for benefit of the doubt for the league on the bubble.
Jacob
1:48
It was a tough week for some of the up and coming Pac-12 teams, specifically Cal and Oregon. What does this say about the conference? If you had to project now, which Pac-12 teams make the tournament?
Kendall Rogers
1:48
I'll go with five bids at this point. I think we entered the season at six bids. The Pac 12 isn't as good as we thought, and probably not as bad as it looks right now.
Archer Smith
1:50
thoughts on texas state after this weekend in houston?
Kendall Rogers
1:50
Archer -- if the Bobcats can find the right mix on the mound, I think they'll be incredibly dangerous in the Sun Belt. They definitely looked better than fellow Sun Belt team Louisiana over the weekend. The Cajuns just looks really light offensively to me. Texas State's lineup is dangerous and has so many different pieces -- Farber is a hitting/on-base machine, Mora has that big-time threat and Augie Ramirez/Aaron Lugo have a penchant for the big hit.
Matt M
1:52
I swear this isn't meant to be a "complain about the rankings" question, in general I think you guys do a great job.  I'm just curious... in last week's Staff Picks, a clear majority picked South Carolina over Clemson, and Oregon over UCSB.  If a majority thinks Team X is better than Team Y, shouldn't X be higher ranked?
Joe Healy
1:52
I take this as a genuine question and it's a thoughtful one, so I appreciate it. And generally speaking, yeah, that's not a bad way to think about it. But for one, I've always said that rankings are an art not a science. There's no magic formula. Talent and resume and projecting how we think a team will perform are all in the mix. Also, this early in the season, we're clinging on to preconceived notions about teams and right or wrong, I think it's in our nature to want to give teams benefit of the doubt right up until they no longer deserve it. And finally, don't overlook the fact that there are multiple voices in the room when we rank teams, and opinions can vary.
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